Ivory Coast won their first Africa Cup of Nations since 1992 in dramatic fashion, beating Ghana 9-8 on penalties.

Wilfried Bony smashed his spot-kick against the crossbar but the Elephants recovered in the shoot-out, eventually taking the title when goalkeeper Boubacar Barry saved from his opposite number Razak Braimah and then stepped up to score.

It was an exciting end to a game that had been anything but, with Premier League stars Bony and Yaya Toure unable to create enough to win the game in 90, or even 120 minutes.

Toure forced Razak Brimah into a save from an early free kick, and was generally more involved than he has been in the tournament’s previous games. However, once again, the Ivorian captain was less than the star we know he can be when played further forward.

Ahead of him Bony was even more frustrated, unable to get into the game and carrying none of the goal-threat that saw him become the Premier League’s top scorer in 2014. Time after time City’s newest striker failed to hold the ball, or to find a team-mate once he had got it under control.

Indeed, as has been the case for much of this season, the City stars were outshone for most of the game by a Chelsea counterpart. Christian Atsu, who has shown throughout this tournament why Everton made such an effort to secure him on loan this season, was the best player on the pitch for much of the game.

His excellent play on the right wing brought most of Ghana’s attacking joy, most notably when he got in behind and crossed for captain Asamoah Gyan in the 70th minute, only for the former Sunderland striker to miss his kick.

And it was Atsu who came closest to finding the net during the 90 minutes which occasionally promised much but eventually delivered little. The Everton winger struck the post with a lovely dipping shot that had beaten Boubacar Barry completely, but didn’t quite have enough bend to take it into the corner of the net.

The Heartbreaking Strike

The Black stars hit the upright again not long after, Andre Ayew getting in behind the defence and wrong-footing Barry, only to see his shot go behind off the frame of the goal. Those near-misses aside, neither side looked much like breaking the deadlock. Neither Barry, playing for the first time in the tournament in the absence of the injured Sylvain Gbohouo, nor Brimah was forced to make too taxing a save, even as the game ticked into extra time.

Asamoah Gyan missed his kick when well-placed, John Boye saw a header go just wide, and Jordan Ayew, off the bench to replace Cambridge United’s Kwesi Appiah, wasted a decent half chance for the Black Stars.

The Elephants, for their part, were once again content to sit back and let Ghana have the majority of possession, playing much of their best football on the break.

Gervinho was a menace from the start, running at defenders with the mix of skilful play and uncontrolled chaos that has become his speciality. The former Arsenal man, as is his way, rarely had much in the way of end product, but he was always a threat for the Ghanain defence.

He really should have scored in the second period of extra time, but took a poor touch when he was through on goal.

The one time that that Gervinho did pick the perfect pass the opportunity was spurned by Max Gradel, the winger who once plied his trade for Leeds. Following a dreadful mistake from Baba Rahman, Gradel was played in on goal, only to blast over from 15 yards.

It was the Ivorians’ best chance in a game noticeable more for the three red cards that didn’t happen than for anything that did. Asamoah Gyan was the first beneficiary, when he stamped on Eric Bailly off the ball, unspotted by referee Bakary Gassama. Gyan’s team-mate John Boye was equally lucky when he headbutted Eric Bailly in the second half, and Gassama again failed to notice.

A referee can only give what he sees, however, so both Ghanaian incidents, though wrong, can be understood. How the official contrived to let Serey Die stay on the pitch, however, is another matter.

There is no question he saw the kick to Wakaso Mubarak’s groin, which though not malicious was certainly painful for the Celtic man, and prompted a yellow card.

He also awarded a free kick when the Ivorian midfield cynically chopped down Atsu to stop an attack, but inexplicably decided it was not worthy of a second yellow card.

It was the closest we came to drama at Estadio de Bata until the shoot-out.

But as the remnants of the Ivorian ‘golden generation’ now know, waiting a long time for success makes it all the sweeter.

​ Kelvyn Boy, newly launched (Ghanaian) artiste to Stonebwoy's Management (BhimNation), drops a 3rd one titled "Toffee". He features the AMG's #Disturbation Rapper, Medikal, on it. The natural synergy by both artistes in good sync with Monie Beatz fed off a classic song which can play at any time of the day. It was mixed by Possi Gee. The radio-friendly song is an urban Afrobeats jam with catchy melody from Kelvyn Boy as always. He is managed by Stonebwoy's Burniton Music Group (BhimNation). He released 2 singles in the past 2 months titled "Pray" (Forever Riddim) and "No War" respectively. Kelvyn Boy, though young, is a seasoned musician who has played for years with live band and is quite familiar with live sets on stage and rocks the stage well to near perfection. SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS: Facebook: Kelvyn Brown Instagram & Twitter: @KelvynBoyMusic Bookings: +233244926062 Interviews: +233266633090​

We often find out about celebrities’ love affairs and gossip from Linda Ikeji blog. But what about the private life of this famous woman? After all, she is so beautiful, successful, and talented. It’s just impossible not to fall in love with such a lady. The last few months her fans and blog audience have been discussing an interesting question: are Linda Ikeji and Don Jazzy dating?

There’s hardly anyone in this country who do not know who is Linda Ikeji. Her career developed very rapidly and made her one of the wealthiest bloggers in Africa. Don Jazzy is also a successful figure in show business. He is a top producer and founder of the music label, Mavin Records.
These couple are worthy of each other. People that have the same level of success are more likely to have a great relationship.
Don Jazzy and Linda Ikeji together: true or false?
Both of them are among the most talked about singles. It’s not surprising that the public is trying to force them to get married. However, most rum…